THE ITINERANT CONNECTION

The Itinerant Connection is a web site devoted to parents, teachers and students involved with services for students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing .

Created by Barbara Chotiner-Solano - National Board Certified Teacher, Exceptional Needs Specialist, Deaf / Hard of Hearing

Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.~ Helen Keller

The mission of The Itinerant Connection is to Promote Communication Access and Quality Education for Children who are Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing

Welcome to the Itinerant Connection. I hope you find the information you need regarding children who are deaf and hard of hearing helpful and informative. If you have any questions about your child's educational program, please contact the school or the itinerant teacher. Also, you can keep up to date by checking the school calendar for testing dates and other important events! You can find the school calendar for Miami-Dade County Public School students by clicking on this link: 2011-2012 school calendar. The testing calendar for MDCPS is this link: Testing Calendar or check with your individual school for more precise testing dates. If you need Adobe, you can download the program for free by clicking here.

To help students who are starting high school to have a plan for their next four years of school, I have included a Student Academic Planner, which outlines the process to follow for applying to colleges and the courses you will need to graduate. Please go to my Students' Page to check out the various sites that can help you in your search for information when you begin to consider your post-secondary plans. You can print this Academic Timeline and use it as a guideline to keep organized and on schedule. Also, if you are a senior and want to apply for financial aid, you can go to the FAFSA site and fill out your application. If you need help, check with the Cap Counselor at your school or your itinerant teacher. Click here to go directly to FAFSA.

The Itinerant Connection is constantly being updated and new information added for students, parents and teachers. If you need an address or phone number for the local MDCPS Region Offices in your area, browse further down this page. If you have ideas to add to The Itinerant Connection or if you have questions that weren't answered on my site, please contact me at itinerantconnection@comcast.net.

There is a very significant advantage that happens when a deaf or hard of hearing child is present in a normal everyday environment. There are patterns of interaction, both formal and informal, that the child observes and to which he/she is expected to conform. To derive full benefit from being present in this type of setting requires a willingness on the part of the school and extracurricular staff to help the child integrate by reaching out to the child him/herself. Support and patience are crucial to the social development of these children. They are greatly concerned with their own value and have a continuous need to understand themselves and how others perceive them. Communicating in a group is often difficult for a deaf or hard of hearing person. Not only must they make a conscious effort to revise the information they wish to contribute, but they continuously strain to hear, visually track and interpret the information being expressed. Understanding the additional stress of trying to keep track of what is going on by utilizing every sensory avenue available to compensate for insufficient hearing is an exhausting task. If the child is being nurtured, it makes the continuous function of accommodation more acceptable. Support during these experiences encourages deaf and hard of hearing children to pursue gratifying interpersonal relationships rather that seeking isolation and loneliness. You can, and do, make a difference!

Communication is at the heart of everything human beings do; it defines and gives meaning to our emotions, beliefs, hopes, creativity, and life experiences. Without communication, a child is lost. The effective development, understanding, and expression of language are fundamental to any educational experience and are particularly crucial for deaf and hard of hearing children.* Communication and educational growth depend on a language-rich environment, one with ongoing, direct, and age-appropriate language opportunities. We take it for granted that hearing children will be in such an environment. Too often the deaf or hard of hearing child sits alone in a classroom, unable to communicate effectively with peers and teachers. Because of their unique communication needs, deaf and hard of hearing children are distinct from all other children with disabilities. Children with a learning handicap or an emotional disability can communicate with the world around them. While deaf and hard of hearing children may have effective modes of communication, they often do not have the opportunity for direct communication with others. This distinction is fundamental and separates deaf and hard of hearing children from others in the educational world.

*The term deaf and hard-of-hearing means children who have any degree of hearing loss, or a hearing loss in combination with one or more disabilities, which adversely affects educational performance. These children may also be gifted, learning disabled, developmentally delayed, severely emotionally disturbed, visually impaired, orthopedically impaired, or multi-handicapped.

North Regional Center (housed at Thomas Jefferson Middle) 525 NW 147 Street Miami, FL 33168 305-572-2800

South Regional Center (Located at Robert Morgan) 18180 SW 122 Avenue Miami, FL 33177 305-252-3041

Education Transformation Office (ETO) 1450 NE 2 Avenue, Room 925 Miami, FL 33132 305-995-3091